Indo-Global media scheming: Mumbai Terrorism: Beyond Official Story-IV
By Dr. Abdul Ruff
The efficiency of global media in churning out analyses in connivance and tune with the views intelligence and government authorities is proved whenever a terrorist makes news. These vibrant media have a lot of stuff cooked up and cut to the needs of the state machinery to feed the public and mould their opinion and mindset. The full cooperation and complete obedience are taken for granted by global governments and intelligence. Mumbai terrorism has once again given another opportunity to prove their anti-Islamic credentials.
The intelligence wings of Indo-US have been harping on ‘gathering” information about the Mumbai terrorism to fix, if not Pakistan , at east one of the Islamic groups or random individuals for the terror attacks and close the files. Indian agencies are churning out new materials for that. New details have been slowly emerging about the early stages of the Mumbai terror attacks. The story of the Mumbai terror attacks likely began when a private fishing trawler with five crew members set sail on the Arabian Sea off the coast of Porbandar in India ’s western Gujarat state on 13 November.
Pressed by Indian intelligence and media to go for a war with “little” Pakistan , India has begun provocative maneuvers on Pakistan air space. Pakistan has said two Indian warplanes violated its airspace on 13 Dec and they flew up to 7.4km into the Lahore and Azad Kashmir sectors, sources said. Indian Air Force spokesman denied the allegation and perhaps it does not want a real war with Pakistan , a nuclear power and a major non-NATO ally because NATO would take steps to protect its ally by all means. India ’s foreign minister denied making a “threatening” phone call that prompted Pakistan to put its forces on alert, the call was a hoax. Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Pakistan ’s air force remained “on alert and ready to face any eventuality, but we do not expect this to escalate. There is no need for alarm.” Pakistani jets had responded, forcing the Indian aircraft to turn back.
Pakistan, under cross border compulsions, got sucked into the Afghan trouble back in December 1979 when the Red Army and Soviet troops occupied that country. Pakistan often, obediently, offers its mercenary services to Western countries, but this one has, by now, gone on for an atrocious three decades. Pakistan ’s US services have, by now, brought Pakistan to ruin — and put a question mark on its very existence. The US had dubbed that fight against Soviets as “Islamic jihad,” but in fact it was a war between two superpowers — Washington and Moscow . Hindu terror attack in Pakistan received no mention in Indian media. Three Pakistanis died in Peshawar and Lahore during violent street protests against Danish cartoons that had satirized the Prophet Muhammad. More such mass protests followed weeks later. But more Pakistanis die to defend their own lands from foreign invaders.
Mumbai Nov26 was a disastrous act of terror and did affect the international community psyche. India is quite eager to compare the domestic terrorist actions with Sept11 and take mileage for its notorious actions domestically. The international community was looking at the issue of own home grown Indian terrorists. The Indian government is trying its best to get maximum benefit and advantage on Mumbai Nov26 from the international community as well as create a nationalistic fervor towards itself. Why India is employing all propaganda tactics to get attention and help from the West and US. Immediately the attention is diverted by the intelligence controlled Indian medial from the Army officers and men involved in terrorism. The bad name and negative image of the army was creating problems as the people were becoming aware of realities. The morale of Indian army was also low. The Indian political parties are going to cash on the issue of terrorism. The Government will try to derive full mileage in this context.
Islamabad has been blamed as a “non-state actor” for the attacks and has vowed to cooperate with investigations, but has also repeatedly said anyone caught in Pakistan would be tried in Pakistan . Singh later said India wanted good relations with Pakistan but again urged Islamabad to do more to stamp out militant groups operating on its soil. But he is reluctant talk about homebred terrorism by Hindus.
India quickly announced to go far a war with Pakistan , but a war would be counterproductive by strengthening the hands of hawks and extremists in India and Pakistan . There was clear cut evidence of hawala funds coming to pro-Hindutva elements who were involved in planning terrorist acts. The RDX which was used in these incidents was stolen from Indian army depots. Those who understand the various aspects of terrorism and are up-to-date about how the Indian print and electronic media is constantly revealing stories of Hindu extremists and their militants who are involved in terrorist activities in Gujarat, Orissa, Kandhamal, Maharastra.
British premier Gordon Brown rushed to India and Pakistan to arrange for the trial of those caught. In Islamabad , Brown proposed a new British-Pakistan “pact against terror,” saying “three-quarters of the most serious terrorist plots investigated by the British authorities have links to al Qaeda in Pakistan .” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown blamed banned Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for last month’s deadly Mumbai attacks as tension between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan simmered Brown also offered India help with forensic investigation, stepping up airport security and offered to cooperate on dealing with security at major sporting events. Brown said Britain would expand its counter-terrorism assistance program to Pakistan , offering help with bomb disposal, bomb scanning equipment and airport security. He also announced Britain would fund a six million pound program to tackle the causes of radicalization, using educational materials.
Terrorism & Poll
Nov26 Mumbai terrorism, no matter by whom and how it was attempted, has taken place just on the eve of the polls and the polls verdicts were expected to be influenced by the horrors of terror. Much before the Indian government decided to use the opportunity to fix Pakistan and escape global criticism of its handling of the crisis and security lapses, etc, the Indian media declared war on Pakistan within minutes of the carnage.
Recent poll results in 5 Indian states reveal one important factor about emerging political polarizations in the country. It looks Nov26 Mumbai terrorism has helped in some measure to resolve the three party or block choices. India wants to decimate the number of Political platforms and reduce them into two blocks and leaving the so-called third front insignificant. The 5 state polls have done that following the Mumbai terrorism, people were given two choices on terrorism issue to choose from.
In a crucial electoral contest ahead of the parliamentary elections early next year, India ’s ruling Congress bested the BJP in three out of five states that went to the polls in staggered elections that ended on December 4. Although the Congress outsmarted the BJP, the party is not all happy about the outcome. The outcome of the staggered elections between November 14 and December 4 sparked off speculation about early Lok Sabha elections“Mr Clean” image has helped the parties to win the polls. Leaders blamed the loss on infighting in party ranks. Delhi, as was expected, brought back Dikshit government more convincingly than other wise. The hopes of the BJP have been badly shattered now and now looking to newer strategies to outsmart Congress. While the Congress retained power for a record third five-year term in Delhi , wrested Mizoram and ousted the BJP in Rajasthan, but losing to it decisively in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in assembly elections that were the last popularity test ahead of the Lok Sabha battle.
In Rajasthan’s 200-member legislature, the Congress emerged the largest party winning 96 seats and was set to form the government taking help from among 25 independents including rebels from its own ranks. And in north-eastern Mizoram, the Congress ended the Mizo National Front’s (MNF) 10-year reign marred by corruption, sweeping 37 of the 40 assembly seats. In Madhya Pradesh, former chief minister and Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS) founder president Uma Bharati, a fire brand anti-Muslim lost from the Tikamgarh seat, her home turf.
Even as BJP supporters celebrated in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, party leaders admitted that the results were disappointing, especially the rout in Delhi , where they had been confident of ending 10 years of Congress rule, more so since voting in all states barring Chhattisgarh took place in the shadow of the Mumbai terror carnage. BJP sources admitted that if they had won even three of the four northern states, they would have pressed for early parliamentary polls. The issue of terrorism they had raked against the Congress government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks and the arrests of Hindu activists following the earlier Malegaon bombings had failed to pay dividends. But the timely resignations by Home minister and Maharastra chief minister have saved Congress in some measure.
The Congress’ most exciting victory came in Delhi where Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, 70, crushed the BJP, winning 40 seats in the 70-member house with results yet to be declared from four constituencies. The biggest hero turned out to be Dikshit, a grandmother who became the first woman in India to lead a party to an assembly election victory for a third term. Even Congress leaders who are normally used to hailing only Sonia Gandhi after every electoral victory gave due credit to Dikshit.
One could say that the Congress bests BJP in ‘semi-final’ battle. But the result will set a momentum for the Lok Sabha elections due in April-May. In summary, it is a surprise that the Congress party gained from the Mumbai terrorism in the polls held in 5 states as “rehearsal” for general elections – and not the opposition BJP as it is generally expected. More glaringly, the terrorism has sped up the process of dismantling the chances for any third front emerging in Indian national scene.
(To continue..>)
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Leaders take pledge during a student’s rally–
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The BJP Prime Ministerial candidate L.K. Advani, Karnataka CM B.S. Yeddyurappa, and other leaders take pledge during a student’s rally against terrorism in Bengaluru on Saturday.
this quote deserves reproduction in all such articles.
This article by Vir Sanghvi truly drives home some home truths !! Read it till the end and it’ll open your eyes to some hard hitting facts.
Indians and Pakistanis are no longer the same people in any significant sense (NEW)
Posted By: Vir Sanghvi | Posted On: 07 Mar 2009 12:38 PM
Few things annoy me as much as the claim often advanced by well meaning but woolly headed (and usually Punjabi) liberals to the effect that when it comes to India and Pakistan, “We’re all the same people, yaar.”
This may have been true once upon a time. Before 1947, Pakistan was part of undivided India and you could claim that Punjabis from West Punjab (what is now Pakistan) were as Indian as say, Tamils from Madras.
But time has a way of moving on. And while the gap between our Punjabis (from east Punjab which is now the only Punjab left in India) and our Tamils may actually have narrowed thanks to improved communications, shared popular culture and greater physical mobility, the gap between Indians and Pakistanis has now widened to the extent that we are no longer the same people in any significant sense.
This was brought home to me most clearly by two major events over the last few weeks.
The first of these was the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team on the streets of Lahore. In their defence, Pakistanis said that they were powerless to act against the terrorists because religious fanaticism was growing. Each day more misguided youth joined jehadi outfits and the law and order situation worsened.
Further, they added, things had got so bad that in the tribal areas the government of Pakistan had agreed to suspend the rule of law under pressure from the Taliban and had conceded that sharia law would reign instead. Interestingly, while most civilized liberals should have been appalled by this surrender to the forces of extremism, many Pakistanis defended this concession.
Imran Khan (Keble College, Oxford, 1973-76) even declared that sharia law would be better because justice would be dispensed more swiftly!
(I know this is politically incorrect but the Loin of the Punjab’s defence of sharia law reminded me of the famous Private Eye cover when his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith was announced. The Eye carried a picture of Khan speaking to Jemima’s father. “Can I have your daughter’s hand?” Imran was supposedly asking James Goldsmith. “Why? Has she been caught shoplifting?” Goldsmith replied. So much for sharia law).
The second contrasting event was one that took place in Los Angeles but which was perhaps celebrated more in India than in any other country in the world. Three Indians won Oscars: A.R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty and Gulzar.
Their victory set off a frenzy of rejoicing. We were proud of our countrymen. We were pleased that India’s entertainment industry and its veterans had been recognized at an international platform. And all three men became even bigger heroes than they already were.
But here’s the thing: Not one of them is a Hindu.
Can you imagine such a thing happening in Pakistan? Can you even conceive of a situation where the whole country would celebrate the victory of three members of two religious minorities? For that matter, can you even imagine a situation where people from religious minorities would have got to the top of their fields and were therefore in the running for international awards?
On the one hand, you have Pakistan imposing sharia law, doing deals with the Taliban, teaching hatred in madrasas, declaring jehad on the world and trying to kill innocent Sri Lankan cricketers. On the other, you have the triumph of Indian secularism.
The same people?
Surely not.
We are defined by our nationality. They choose to define themselves by their religion.
But it gets even more complicated. As you probably know, Rahman was born Dilip Kumar. He converted to Islam when he was 21. His religious preferences made no difference to his prospects. Even now, his music cuts across all religious boundaries. He’s as much at home with Sufi music as he is with bhajans. Nor does he have any problem with saying Vande Mataram.
Now, think of a similar situation in Pakistan. Can you conceive of a Pakistani composer who converted to Hinduism at the age of 21 and still went on to become a national hero? Under sharia law, they’d probably have to execute him.
Resul Pookutty’s is an even more interesting case. Until you realize that Malayalis tend to put an ‘e’ where the rest of us would put an ‘a,’ (Ravi becomes Revi and sometimes the Gulf becomes the Gelf), you cannot work out that his name derives from Rasool, a fairly obviously Islamic name.
But here’s the point: even when you point out to people that Pookutty is in fact a Muslim, they don’t really care. It makes no difference to them. He’s an authentic Indian hero, his religion is irrelevant.
Can you imagine Pakistan being indifferent to a man’s religion? Can you believe that Pakistanis would not know that one of their Oscar winners came from a religious minority? And would any Pakistani have dared bridge the religious divide in the manner Resul did by referring to the primeval power of Om in his acceptance speech?
The same people?
Surely not.
Most interesting of all is the case of Gulzar who many Indians believe is a Muslim. He is not. He is a Sikh. And his real name is Sampooran Singh Kalra.
So why does he have a Muslim name?
It’s a good story and he told it on my TV show some years ago. He was born in West Pakistan and came over the border during the bloody days of Partition. He had seen so much hatred and religious violence on both sides, he said, that he was determined never to lose himself to that kind of blind religious prejudice and fanaticism.
Rather than blame Muslims for the violence inflicted on his community – after all, Hindus and Sikhs behaved with equal ferocity – he adopted a Muslim pen name to remind himself that his identity was beyond religion. He still writes in Urdu and considers it irrelevant whether a person is a Sikh, a Muslim or a Hindu.
Let’s forget about political correctness and come clean: can you see such a thing happening in Pakistan? Can you actually conceive of a famous Pakistani Muslim who adopts a Hindu or Sikh name out of choice to demonstrate the irrelevance of religion?
My point, exactly.
What all those misguided liberals who keep blathering on about us being the same people forget is that in the 60-odd years since independence, our two nations have traversed very different paths.
Pakistan was founded on the basis of Islam. It still defines itself in terms of Islam. And over the next decade as it destroys itself, it will be because of Islamic extremism.
India was founded on the basis that religion had no role in determining citizenship or nationhood. An Indian can belong to any religion in the world and face no discrimination in his rights as a citizen.
It is nobody’s case that India is a perfect society or that Muslims face no discrimination. But only a fool would deny that in the last six decades, we have traveled a long way towards religious equality. In the early days of independent India, a Yusuf Khan had to call himself Dilip Kumar for fear of attracting religious prejudice.
In today’s India, a Dilip Kumar can change his name to A.R. Rahman and nobody really gives a damn either way.
So think back to the events of the last few weeks. To the murderous attack on innocent Sri Lankan cricketers by jehadi fanatics in a society that is being buried by Islamic extremism. And to the triumphs of Indian secularism.
Same people?
Don’t make me laugh.
This article by Vir Sanghvi truly drives home some home truths !! Read it till the end and it’ll open your eyes to some hard hitting facts.
Indians and Pakistanis are no longer the same people in any significant sense (NEW)
Posted By: Vir Sanghvi | Posted On: 07 Mar 2009 12:38 PM
Few things annoy me as much as the claim often advanced by well meaning but woolly headed (and usually Punjabi) liberals to the effect that when it comes to India and Pakistan, “We’re all the same people, yaar.”
This may have been true once upon a time. Before 1947, Pakistan was part of undivided India and you could claim that Punjabis from West Punjab (what is now Pakistan) were as Indian as say, Tamils from Madras.
But time has a way of moving on. And while the gap between our Punjabis (from east Punjab which is now the only Punjab left in India) and our Tamils may actually have narrowed thanks to improved communications, shared popular culture and greater physical mobility, the gap between Indians and Pakistanis has now widened to the extent that we are no longer the same people in any significant sense.
This was brought home to me most clearly by two major events over the last few weeks.
The first of these was the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team on the streets of Lahore. In their defence, Pakistanis said that they were powerless to act against the terrorists because religious fanaticism was growing. Each day more misguided youth joined jehadi outfits and the law and order situation worsened.
Further, they added, things had got so bad that in the tribal areas the government of Pakistan had agreed to suspend the rule of law under pressure from the Taliban and had conceded that sharia law would reign instead. Interestingly, while most civilized liberals should have been appalled by this surrender to the forces of extremism, many Pakistanis defended this concession.
Imran Khan (Keble College, Oxford, 1973-76) even declared that sharia law would be better because justice would be dispensed more swiftly!
(I know this is politically incorrect but the Loin of the Punjab’s defence of sharia law reminded me of the famous Private Eye cover when his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith was announced. The Eye carried a picture of Khan speaking to Jemima’s father. “Can I have your daughter’s hand?” Imran was supposedly asking James Goldsmith. “Why? Has she been caught shoplifting?” Goldsmith replied. So much for sharia law).
The second contrasting event was one that took place in Los Angeles but which was perhaps celebrated more in India than in any other country in the world. Three Indians won Oscars: A.R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty and Gulzar.
Their victory set off a frenzy of rejoicing. We were proud of our countrymen. We were pleased that India’s entertainment industry and its veterans had been recognized at an international platform. And all three men became even bigger heroes than they already were.
But here’s the thing: Not one of them is a Hindu.
Can you imagine such a thing happening in Pakistan? Can you even conceive of a situation where the whole country would celebrate the victory of three members of two religious minorities? For that matter, can you even imagine a situation where people from religious minorities would have got to the top of their fields and were therefore in the running for international awards?
On the one hand, you have Pakistan imposing sharia law, doing deals with the Taliban, teaching hatred in madrasas, declaring jehad on the world and trying to kill innocent Sri Lankan cricketers. On the other, you have the triumph of Indian secularism.
The same people?
Surely not.
We are defined by our nationality. They choose to define themselves by their religion.
But it gets even more complicated. As you probably know, Rahman was born Dilip Kumar. He converted to Islam when he was 21. His religious preferences made no difference to his prospects. Even now, his music cuts across all religious boundaries. He’s as much at home with Sufi music as he is with bhajans. Nor does he have any problem with saying Vande Mataram.
Now, think of a similar situation in Pakistan. Can you conceive of a Pakistani composer who converted to Hinduism at the age of 21 and still went on to become a national hero? Under sharia law, they’d probably have to execute him.
Resul Pookutty’s is an even more interesting case. Until you realize that Malayalis tend to put an ‘e’ where the rest of us would put an ‘a,’ (Ravi becomes Revi and sometimes the Gulf becomes the Gelf), you cannot work out that his name derives from Rasool, a fairly obviously Islamic name.
But here’s the point: even when you point out to people that Pookutty is in fact a Muslim, they don’t really care. It makes no difference to them. He’s an authentic Indian hero, his religion is irrelevant.
Can you imagine Pakistan being indifferent to a man’s religion? Can you believe that Pakistanis would not know that one of their Oscar winners came from a religious minority? And would any Pakistani have dared bridge the religious divide in the manner Resul did by referring to the primeval power of Om in his acceptance speech?
The same people?
Surely not.
Most interesting of all is the case of Gulzar who many Indians believe is a Muslim. He is not. He is a Sikh. And his real name is Sampooran Singh Kalra.
So why does he have a Muslim name?
It’s a good story and he told it on my TV show some years ago. He was born in West Pakistan and came over the border during the bloody days of Partition. He had seen so much hatred and religious violence on both sides, he said, that he was determined never to lose himself to that kind of blind religious prejudice and fanaticism.
Rather than blame Muslims for the violence inflicted on his community – after all, Hindus and Sikhs behaved with equal ferocity – he adopted a Muslim pen name to remind himself that his identity was beyond religion. He still writes in Urdu and considers it irrelevant whether a person is a Sikh, a Muslim or a Hindu.
Let’s forget about political correctness and come clean: can you see such a thing happening in Pakistan? Can you actually conceive of a famous Pakistani Muslim who adopts a Hindu or Sikh name out of choice to demonstrate the irrelevance of religion?
My point, exactly.
What all those misguided liberals who keep blathering on about us being the same people forget is that in the 60-odd years since independence, our two nations have traversed very different paths.
Pakistan was founded on the basis of Islam. It still defines itself in terms of Islam. And over the next decade as it destroys itself, it will be because of Islamic extremism.
India was founded on the basis that religion had no role in determining citizenship or nationhood. An Indian can belong to any religion in the world and face no discrimination in his rights as a citizen.
It is nobody’s case that India is a perfect society or that Muslims face no discrimination. But only a fool would deny that in the last six decades, we have traveled a long way towards religious equality. In the early days of independent India, a Yusuf Khan had to call himself Dilip Kumar for fear of attracting religious prejudice.
In today’s India, a Dilip Kumar can change his name to A.R. Rahman and nobody really gives a damn either way.
So think back to the events of the last few weeks. To the murderous attack on innocent Sri Lankan cricketers by jehadi fanatics in a society that is being buried by Islamic extremism. And to the triumphs of Indian secularism.
Same people?
Don’t make me laugh.